Ticket aspirants raise slogans as Congress leaders discuss Bihar poll list

Slogans were raised against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Krishna Allavaru and state Congress chief Rajesh Ram at the party headquarters on Tuesday evening as top party leaders huddled inside to decide candidates for the Bihar Assembly poll.

Even as the central election committee (CEC) met under the leadership of Kharge, the unease within Bihar Congress spilled onto the streets. Scores of party workers staged a protest outside the venue, raising slogans against Bihar AICC in-charge Krishna Allavaru and Rajesh Ram, accusing them of favouritism in ticket distribution.

Inside, the leadership grappled with its own challenge, shrinking political space within the ‘mahagathbandhan’ and the inevitable reality of contesting fewer seats than in 2020. That year, the Congress contested 70 constituencies but managed to win only 19, a dismal performance that has weakened its bargaining power this time.

The meeting, attended by Kharge, Rahul Gandhi (virtually), KC Venugopal and Ajay Maken, discussed over 50 prospective candidates. Senior leaders Ambika Soni, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Salman Khurshid, TS Singhdeo, KJ George, Amee Yagnik and PL Punia were also present.

Sources said this was the second CEC round to finalise names on the eve of the much-awaited seat-sharing announcement of the opposition mahagathbandhan, expected on Wednesday morning. The Congress, which had held last-minute parleys with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday, is now bracing for a reduced quota in the alliance’s final seat matrix.

“Every Assembly seat in Bihar is being discussed in detail,” Congress national spokesperson Abhay Dubey told reporters after the meeting, adding that the opposition alliance was “united in its goal to defeat the NDA”.

He, however, hinted at unease within the ruling coalition, saying, “The NDA is already showing cracks after its partial list.”